The invention described below relates to the control of satellites. Such satellites must be maintained in a predetermined orbit and attitude in order to accomplish the assigned mission which can be surveillance, photography, detection and many others. The orbit and attitude of the satellite must be periodically adjusted to compensate for disturbances which occur in space or for the purpose of changing the mission. Such adjustments are obtained by the firing of thrusters mounted on the satellite to create forces in the proper axis to attain the desired maneuver. In prior art systems, an onboard computer analyzes data relating to the actual attitude obtained from onboard sensors and compares such data to the desired attitude which may be periodically updated by a ground station mission controls operator. The onboard computer generates on time signals, energizing the thrusters to compensate for errors in attitude.
This control process is rendered significantly more complex because of inherent inconsistencies in the thruster firings. In addition, the forces exerted on the satellite during the thruster firing create additional attitude disturbances which are aggravated by flexible components on the satellite such as antennae. These disturbances are reflected in the signals from on board sensors. All of these factors create errors in spacecraft attitude that must be managed.
Many satellites are equipped with apparatus which extends outward from the main body of the spacecraft. Antennae and solar arrays are generally flexible and deform under the forces of attitude adjustment. This creates reactionary forces which will alter the attitude of the satellite.
In prior art systems, the onboard computer senses these attitude changes through the attitude control sensors and, utilizing complex algorithms, generates attitude adjustment thruster firing signals which compensate for the flexing of the extended elements. The use of onboard attitude sensors in this manner makes the control system sensitive to the parameters of the flexible apparatus. Due to the continuous torque disturbances placed on a satellite from orbital maneuvers, prior art systems require operator intervention, prior to a maneuver, to program the control system with the expected torque to which the spacecraft will be subjected. Also, because prior art systems use only onboard sensors to provide attitude information about the spacecraft, a Pulse Width Phased Frequency (PWPF) triggering device needs to be used to pulse the thrusters on and off appropriately. Without this device, the thruster would remain on too long while the controller waits for the attitude sensor to adjust to the new attitude.
The reliance on sensor data for attitude information will necessarily result in the inclusion of the effects of vibration of the flexible components which cause the control to oscillate. The oscillations required complex algorithms to reject the effects of the oscillatory components and provide appropriate control signals.
It is the purpose of this invention to construct an attitude control system which has reduced sensitivity to the characteristics of the flexing apparatus thereby eliminating the need for flexible mode compensation used in the prior art. It also removes the need for operator intervention and eliminates the need for a PWPF.
In the system of this invention, the control system uses attitude shift assumptions to estimate the resultant attitude of a thruster firing. Data, generated by the onboard sensors, is used to correct attitude estimation errors resulting from the assumptions. In this manner, the effect of the oscillating torque created by the flexible accessories on the space craft are minimized.